Washington DC, May 7: Microsoft, in its latest announcement, said that it is planning to make voting more secure and verifiable by making it accountable to audits. This will be done by registering ballots in encrypted form, reported news agency AP. The software is being developed by Microsoft along with Galois, for a secure voting prototype. The purpose of the software is to "modernise all of the election infrastructure everywhere in the world." Satya Nadella Refuses to Withdraw Microsoft's HoloLens Contract with US Military.

Microsoft claims that the software will help elections become not just technologically savvy but also allow voters to track the development of their vote long after they are cast.

Nadella recently called for building Artificial Intelligence (AI) responsibly while avoiding the race to the bottom, amid concerns over the use of the cutting-edge technology by the governments to constantly monitor certain populations.

Members of the civic society in the US and globally have expressed concern over the use of AI in particular its facial recognition technology by China to repress religious minorities.

“Now is the time to examine how we build AI responsibly and avoid a race to the bottom. This requires both the private and public sectors to take action,” Nadella said in a tweet, hours after he attended a White House Summit of technology executives.

AI is believed to have been discussed at the summit which was also attended by President Donald Trump.

“We’ve seen how AI can be applied for good, but we must also guard against its unintended consequences,” Nadella said as he flagged a blog written by Microsoft president Brad Smith. But in countries like India, AI has been used for positive benefit, Smith wrote. (With Agency Inputs)